BURLINGTON – The University of Vermont men’s soccer team lived up to its “Cardiac Cats” nickname Monday night, scoring a goal late in the second half to send the NCAA national championship game into overtime before winning with a golden goal University secured a 2-1 win over Marshall.

It was a historic night for the unseeded Catamounts, who won their first title in program history thanks to a sudden-death overtime goal from Maximilian Kissel, a junior forward from Germany.

While the game was taking place in North Carolina, the energy was palpable at Nectar’s in Burlington, where more than 100 fans gathered for a watch party. There was excitement at the venue as free food and raffle tickets were handed out and yellow and green beaded necklaces sailed through the crowd – people mingled, eating and drinking drinks as they waited for the game to begin.

Most of the crowd consisted of University of Vermont students and alumni, but at one table, four retirees proudly wore UVM’s signature green and gold logo — matching caps and cheek stickers included — to show their unwavering support for the team.

After a goalless first half, Marshall struck first, with veteran striker Tarik Pannholzer scoring in the 67th minute. The Marshall goal sparked frustration from the Nectar crowd.

But the equalizer was achieved in the 81st minute by striker Marcell Papp, a doctoral student from Hungary. The goal brought the UVM fans back to life at Nectar’s, prompting chants of “Go cats go.”

UVM graduate Katie Moino took her sister Elisabeth, who plays football at Essex High School, to the watch party. At the start of overtime, they said they believed UVM had a good chance to win.

“It’s definitely the better team,” said Katie Moino.

Less than five minutes into overtime, Kissel defeated Marshall goaltender Aleksa Janjic one-on-one to lift the 2024 College Cup trophy for the Catamounts. Marshall, ranked 13th, previously won the NCAA College Cup in 2020.

On the big screen, UVM coach Rob Dow wiped away tears as he lifted the NCAA Cup. At Nectar’s, Queen’s “We Are The Champions” played over the speakers. Fans laughed, cheered and sang along as they made their way outside.